The Aviator

Release Date: December 17, 2004
Limited release

Now how exactly am I supposed to fit inside this thing?

On the Big Board
Position Staff In Brief
9/48 Les Winan Everything in a biopic that Ray wasn't, with a lead performance that's almost as good.
12/133 Dan Krovich The best of the biopic bunch
19/55 Reagen Sulewski The most shocking thing is how little of Scorsese there is in this Scorsese film. Maybe that's why I like this one.

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Over the last few years, numerous Howard Hughes biopic ideas have been tossed around, with many different star/director combinations. Many never even got off the ground, but the team of Martin Scorscese and Leonardo DiCaprio strike first, and bring The Aviator to theaters this December, clearly with Oscar on their minds.

Young Howard Hughes took the small fortune he inherited from his father's Texas business to a fledgling Hollywood. There, he was behind films such as Hell's Angels, The Front Page and Scarface, as well as starlets like Katherine Hepburn (Blanchett), Ava Gardner (Beckinsale) and Jean Harlow (Stefani), all of whom he dated at one point or another. He eventually came to own RKO Studios.

But with the film's title being what it is, the focus of the film will likely be Hughes' obsession with airplanes. Hell's Angels, which he wrote and directed, dealt with World War I aviators. While filming it, he earned his pilot's licence. During the 1930's, Hughes set numerous air speed records, and is credited with numerous technological improvements in the field of aviation.

The number of big names in this production is astounding, and with an over $100 million budget, it's clear Miramax is serious about making this a serious contender come next awards season.

Biopics usually aren't worth spending $100 million to make, but after the success of A Beautiful Mind, and with the mysteriousness that always surrounded Hughes' life, it's a bet Miramax is willing to take. With both DiCaprio and Scorsese both hot at the same time, we hope you'll excuse the pun when we say that the sky is the limit for this one. (Tim Briody/BOP)


December 2, 2004
The Aviator will open in New York, L.A. and San Francisco on December 17th before bowing nationwide on Christmas Day. (Kim Hollis/BOP)






Vital statistics for The Aviator
Main Cast Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Beckinsale, Cate Blanchett
Supporting Cast Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin, Frances Conroy, Willem Dafoe, Kelli Garner, Ian Holm, Danny Huston, Vincent Laresca, Josie Maran, Matt Ross, Nellie Sciutto, Adam Scott, Justin Shilton, Brent Spiner, Gwen Stefani, Chris Ufland, Rufus Wainwright
Director Martin Scorsese
Screenwriter John Logan
Distributor Miramax
Trailer Click Here for Trailer
Official Site http://www.aviatormovie.com
Rating PG-13
Running Time 168 minutes
Screen Count 40
Awards Awards page for The Aviator
Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture



Comparison films for The Aviator
Title
Date
Opening
Adjusted Opening
Screens
PSA
Adj PSA
Total BO
Adjusted Total
Mult
Catch Me If You Can 12/27/0230.08 31.27 3156 9532.00 9532.0 164.61 171.14 4.85
Ali 12/28/0114.71 15.69 2446 6014.00 6173.7 58.18 62.09 2.59
Casino 11/24/959.95 13.79 1616 6157.00 8209.3 42.42 58.80 2.93
Malcolm X 11/20/929.87 14.34 1124 8781.00 12272.2 48.17 69.99 4.50
Gangs of New York 12/20/029.12 9.48 1504 6051.00 6051.0 77.73 80.81 8.52
Chaplin 1/8/933.26 4.74 1066 3058.00 4284.2 9.29 13.53 2.75
Nixon * 12/22/952.21 3.06 514 4300.00 5733.3 13.67 18.94 5.88


     


 
 

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